A nationwide housing crisis is pricing out millions of would-be homeowners.
Conventional wisdom suggests the problem is demand, as in, too much of it.
But what if the problem instead involves the supply side of the equation — namely, how and where we build?
In conversation with Tony Avila of Avila Real Estate Capital, AFIRE CEO Gunnar Branson explores why attainable single-family homes are so scarce. The reasons include decade-long entitlement battles and loopy land loans that most institutions hope to avoid. Avila explains how his firm funds regional developers and partners with major homebuilders, while targeting the “sweet spot” of American incomes.
Also on the agenda: Migration trends, policy missteps and why the next decade is shaping up to be the world’s biggest housing construction opportunity.
LINKS
Visit the Avila Real Estate Capital website
https://www.avilacapllc.com/
To hear the globe’s top experts discuss opportunities in US property markets, register for future AFIRE conferences:
Summer Conference 2026 in Tokyo
https://www.afire.org/events/tokyo26/
KEY MOMENTS
00:00 – Why housing feels impossible for many right now
00:36 – Welcome to the AFIRE Podcast
00:49 – Meet Tony Avila
01:15 – What’s driving the home affordability crunch
02:06 – Entitlements that take decades
03:54 – Funding local land developers
04:24 – Why land loans are so hard
05:19 – Developers turned specialist lenders
06:19 – Working with institutional capital
09:26 – Builders as LPs and takeout buyers
11:10 – Biggest risks to housing projects
12:43 – Rates, war and buyer confidence
15:39 – Do millennials really hate owning?
17:35 – 8 million homes in 10 years
19:03 – Where new homes should be built
DISCLAIMER
The publisher of the AFIRE Podcast is not engaged in providing tax, accounting, or legal advice through this publication. No content published in the AFIRE Podcast is to be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any asset. Some information included in the AFIRE Podcast has been obtained from third-party sources considered to be reliable, though the publisher is not responsible for guaranteeing the accuracy of third-party information. The opinions expressed in the AFIRE Podcast are those of its respective contributors and sources and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.
The AFIRE Podcast with Gunnar Branson is the official, multiple-award-winning podcast of AFIRE, the association for international real estate investors focused on commercial property in the United States.
Hosted by AFIRE CEO Gunnar Branson, the podcast features informative and in-depth conversations with experts across the full spectrum of real estate, investment, sustainability, economics, geopolitics, and urbanism with a focus on helping each other become Better Investors, Better Leaders, and Better Global Citizens. To learn more, visit afire.org/podcast
QUESTIONS?
Benjamin van Loon, Communications Director
bvanloon@afire.org | +1 202 312 1405